大学英语阅读精选25篇.docx

大学英语阅读精选25篇.docx

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大学英语阅读精选25篇

大学英语阅读精选25篇

Passage1

NoonepriortoWorldWar

moretrenchantlyanalyzedthephilosophicaldifferencesbetweenutopiansandrealiststhandidE.H.Carrinhiscelebratedwork,which,althoughpublishedin1939,didnothaveitsimpactinAmericauntilafterWorldWar

.Carrusedthetermutopiansforidealistswhoplacedemphasisoninternationallawandorganizationandontheinfluenceofmoralityandpublicopinionintheaffairsofnations.HeprobablydidnotintendthemorepejorativeconnotationthatattachedtothetermutopiansafterWorldWar

asnaïveopponentsofpowerpoliticsexpoundedbyrealists.Indeed,sincetheendoftheColdWar,theidealistconceptoftheharmonyofnationalinterestsinpeacehasreceivednewattentioninamorerecentneoliberal-neorealistdebate.

ThefailuresoftheLeagueofNationsinthe1930scastdoubtontheharmonyofinterestinpeace,whichappearedtoaccordwiththeinterestsofsatisfied,status-quopowerswithdemocraticgovernments,butnotwiththeperceivedneedsofrevisionists,totalitarians,authoritarianstatesseekingboundarychanges,enhancedstatus,greaterpower,and,especiallyinthecaseofNaziGermany,revengeforthehumiliationofthepost-WorldWar

settlementimposedbytheVersaillestreaty.Contrarytotheutopianassumption,nationalself-determinationdidnotalwaysproducerepresentativegovernments.Instead,theoverthrowoftheoldmonarchicalordergaveriseinmanyplaces,includingRussia,toamorepervasiveandoppressivetotalitarianstates.TheMolotov-RibbentropPactofAugust1939betweentheSovietUnionandNaziGermanysetthestageforAdolphHitler’sinvasionofPoland,theoutbreakofWorldWar

thepartitionofPoland,andtheabsorptionofBalticstatesintotheSovietUnion,allinflagrantcontraventionofthestandardsofinternationalconductsetforthinutopiantheory.

ordertocasthoroscopes,ThompsontellsusthatfromaveryearlydaytheverynameChaldeanbecamesynonymouswithmagician.Headdsthat"fromMesopotamia,bywayofGreeceandRome,acertainamountofBabylonianastrologymadeitswayamongthenationsofthewest,anditisquiteprobablethatmanysuperstitionswhichwecommonlyrecordasthepeculiarproductofwesterncivilizationtooktheiroriginfromthoseoftheearlydwellersonthealluviallandsofMesopotamia.OneAssurbanipal,kingofAssyriaB.C.668-626,addedtotheroyallibraryatNinevehhiscontributionoftablets,whichincludedmanyseriesofdocumentswhichrelatedexclusivelytotheastrologyoftheancientBabylonians,whointurnhadborroweditwithmodificationsfromtheSumerianinvadersofthecountry.Amongthesemustbementionedtheserieswhichwascommonlycalled'theDayofBel,'andwhichwasdecreedbythelearnedtohavebeenwritteninthetimeofthegreatSargonI.,kingofAgade,3800B.C.Withsuchancientworksasthesetoguidethem,theprofessionofdeducingomensfromdailyeventsreachedsuchapitchofimportanceinthelastAssyrianEmpirethatasystemofmakingperiodicalreportscameintobeing.Bythesethekingwasinformedofalltheoccurrencesintheheavensandonearth,andtheresultsofastrologicalstudiesinrespecttoafterevents.Theheadsoftheastrologicalprofessionweremenofhighrankandposition,andtheirofficewashereditary.ThevarietyofinformationcontainedinthesereportsisbestgatheredfromthefactthattheyweresentfromcitiesasfarremovedfromeachotherasAssurinthenorthandErechinthesouth,anditcanonlybeassumedthattheyweredespatchedbyrunners,ormenmountedonswifthorses.AsreportsalsocamefromDilbat,Kutba,Nippur,andBursippa,allcitiesofancientfoundation,thekingwasprobablywellacquaintedwiththegeneralcourseofeventsinhisempire."

1.WhatactuatedtheBabylonianastronomer?

A.Markingtheseasons

B.Astrology

C.BothAandB

D.NeitherofAandB

2.Where,accordingtoThompson,didmanysuperstitionsofwesterncivilizationoriginatefrom?

A.Nineveh

B.Babylonia

C.Assur

D.Erech

3.Howwasthesocialstatusofanastrologeratthattime?

A.Ofhighsocialstatus

B.Ofmiddlesocialstatus

C.Oflowsocialstatus

D.Itwasn’tmentionedinthepassage.

4.Howwasthekingacquaintedwiththegeneralcourseofeventsinhisempire?

A.Byperiodicalreportsofastrologyfromthecitiesoftheempire.

B.Byscientificreportsfromspecialists.

C.Byrumors

D.Bymakingatourindisguise

5.Whatdoestheauthormainlytalkaboutinthispassage?

A.astronomy

B.physics

C.meteorology

D.astrology

passage3

MrMalthusverycorrectlydefines,"therentoflandtobethatportionofthevalueofthewholeproducewhichremainstotheowner,afteralltheoutgoingsbelongingtoitscultivation,of

whateverkind,havebeenpaid,includingtheprofitsofthecapitalemployed,estimatedaccordingtotheusualandordinaryrateoftheprofitsofagriculturalstockatthetimebeing."

Whenever,then,theusualandordinaryrateoftheprofitsofagriculturalstock,andalltheoutgoingsbelongingtothecultivationofland,aretogetherequaltothevalueofthewholeproduce,therecanbenorent.

Andwhenthewholeproduceisonlyequalinvaluetotheoutgoingsnecessarytocultivation,therecanneitherberentnorprofit.

Inthefirstsettlingofacountryrichinfertileland,andwhichmaybehadbyanyonewhochoosestotakeit,thewholeproduce,afterdeductingtheoutgoingsbelongingtocultivation,willbetheprofitsofcapital,andwillbelongtotheownerofsuchcapital,withoutanydeductionwhateverforrent.

Thus,ifthecapitalemployedbyanindividualonsuchlandwereofthevalueoftwohundredquartersofwheat,ofwhichhalfconsistedoffixedcapital,suchasbuildings,implements,&c.andtheotherhalfofcirculatingcapital,--if,afterreplacingthefixedandcirculatingcapital,thevalueoftheremainingproducewereonehundredquartersofwheat,orofequalvaluewithonehundredquartersofwheat,theneatprofittotheownerofcapitalwouldbefiftypercentoronehundredprofitontwohundredcapital.

Foraperiodofsomeduration,theprofitsofagriculturalstockmightcontinueatthesamerate,becauselandequallyfertile,andequallywellsituated,mightbeabundant,andtherefore,mightbecultivatedonthesameadvantageousterms,inproportionasthecapitalofthefirst,andsubsequentsettlersaugmented.

1.InMrMalthus’opinion,therentoflandandprofitsofthecapitalemployedincultivation__________________?

A.havenotbeenpaid.

B.havebeenpaid.

C.havebeenpartiallypaid

D.oughttobepaid.

2.What,accordingtoMrMalthus,isthecorrelationbetweenthefourparties:

rentofland,outgoingsnecessarytocultivation,profitofcapitalandvalueofthewholeproduce

A.outgoingsnecessarytocultivation=rentofland+profitofcapital+valueofthewholeproduce

B.profitofcapital=valueofthewholeproduce–rentofland–outgoingsnecessarytocultivation

C.valueofthewholeproduce=landoftherent+outgoingsnecessarytocultivation–profitofcapital

D.profitofcapital=valueofthewholeproduce+rentofland–outgoingsnecessarytocultivation

3.Whendoesacultivatorhavenoprofitunderthefollowingcircumstances?

A.Theusualandordinaryrateoftheprofitsofagriculturalstockistogetherequaltothevalueofthewholeproduce.

B.Thewholeproduceisonlyequalinvaluetotheoutgoingsnecessarytocultivation.

C.Acultivatortakesfirstsettlingofacountryrichinfertileland

D.Thelandisnotfree.

4.Inthefifthparagraph,if,afterreplacingthefixedandcirculatingcapital,thevalueoftheremainingproducewerefiftyquartersofwheat,theneatprofittotheownerofcapitalwouldbe___?

A.50%

B.100%

C.75%

D.25%

5.Theauthorbelievestheprofitsofagriculturalstockare____?

A.unsustainable

B.sustainable

C.sometimessustainable

D.dependingontheweather

passage4

Whilethelaborerisconfinedtothecultureofthesoilonhisown-account,becauseitisinthatmanneralonethathecanobtainaccesstothewagesonwhichheistosubsist,theformandamountoftheRentshepaysaredeterminedbyadirectcontractbetweenhimselfandtheproprietor.Theprovisionsofthesecontractsareinfluencedsometimesbythelaws,andalmostalwaysbythelongestablishedusages,ofthecountriesinwhichtheyaremade.Themainobjectinallis,tosecurearevenuetotheproprietorswiththeleastpracticableamountoftroubleorriskontheirpart.

Thoughgovernedincommonbysomeimportantprinciples,thevarietyintheminuterdetailsofthisclassofRentsisofcoursealmostinfinite.Butmenwillbedriveninsimilarsituationstoverysimilarexpedients,andthegeneralmassofpeasantrentsmaybeseparatedintofourgreatdivisions,comprising1st,LaborRents,2dly,MetayerRents,3dly,RyotRents（borrowingthelasttermfromthecountryinwhichwearemostfamiliarwiththem,India）.

Thesethreewillbefoundoccupyingincontiguousmassesthebreadthoftheoldworld,fromtheCanaryIslandstotheshoresofChinaandthePacific,anddeciding,eachinitsownsphere,notmerelytheeconomicalrelationsofthelandlordsandtenants,butthepoliticalandsocialconditionofthemassofthepeople.

Tothesemustbeaddedafourthdivision,thatofCottierRents,orRentspaidbyalaborerextractinghisownwagesfromtheland,butpayinghisrentinmoney,asinIrelandandpartofScotland.Thisclassissmall,butpeculiarlyinterestingtoEnglishmen,fromthefactofitsprevalenceinthesisterisland,andfromtheinfluenceithasexercised,andseemslikelyforsometimeyettoexercise,overtheprogressandcircumstancesoftheIrishpeople.

1.Whyisthelabor